House for sale, Octavian Goga Street, Prahova, in Sinaia, Romania

The history of the villa is closely connected to the development of tourism-related activities in Sinaia in the second half of the 19th century. Its first owner, the Austrian Jóseph Ungarth, who had been prince Dimitrie Ghica’s valet, became in 1870 the first “hotel-keeper” of the Podul Neagului town (Sinaia was only declared a city on December 1st 1874). After managing Sinaia’s first hotel, Ungarth started his own business and built the Carola villa in 1896. As a hotel owner and a highly-skilled restoration expert, after quitting Caraiman hotel, the Austrian Josef Ungarth was in charge of Villa Carola. Luxury and comfort were the key words for those who came to Villa Carola, as the Austrian knew how to make each stay as pleasant as possible. Thus, the villa garden was being taken care of by a gardener, there was a carriage that took guests wherever they wanted to go, and a horse was put at the disposal of those who wanted to learn how to ride. The small hotel bears the name of Jóseph Ungarth’s daughter, Carola, who, years later, would become Constantin Noica’s mother-in-law. In 1934, the great philosopher married Wendy Muston, the daughter of Walter and Carola Muston. He had known Wendy since her childhood, and had courted her whilst he was enlisted at Sinaia (1931-1932). A chic and select place, the hotel also became the secret meeting place for Elena Lupescu and Carol, the crown prince. The two had met in February 1925, and the Carola villa, which was then Elena Lupescu’s residence, served as their refuge. The hotel has a long history – in 1927, one of its guests was the young Yehudi Menuhin, the future great conductor and violinist. When he was eleven years old, he spent two months at the Carola villa, during which he visited the Luminiș villa in order to take violin lessons from George Enescu.